Is it possible to pour tap water into the aquarium?

If you decide to start fish and even buy an aquarium, the first thing you need to do is to fill it. You can use tap water - this is the most affordable source. If you decide to pour tap water into the aquarium, you need to follow simple but important rules, because the fish, swimming in unsuitable water for them, can die.

Preparing to fill the aquarium

Even if you are new to this business, try to prepare your own housing for fish with your own hands. It's not hard:

1. We fill the aquarium for a day with running water so that it absorbs all the impurities contained in the sealant.
2. We wash the tank with water using baking soda.
3. We establish the capacity in place of a permanent deployment. It should be a well-lit place, but not in direct sunlight.
4. The installation location must be level. If necessary, a rubber mat can be placed under the bottom.
5. Pour water into the aquarium and leave it to settle for at least a week.

During this time, chlorine contained in tap water will evaporate.

Make sure that the water does not heat up, otherwise it may become covered with a film, mold and bloom, especially if the aquarium is well lit.

If you live in a house with an old water supply, be especially careful. In the old pipes there is rust and plaque, they will certainly fall into the aquarium. Therefore, draw water into a container, such as a bucket of food grade plastic. Let it settle, then carefully scoop out, leaving sediment at the bottom, and pour into the aquarium.

Microclimate formation

To make the aquarium a comfortable home for fish, you need to properly prepare it:

1. We spread the soil, after pre-roasting it in the oven. A neutral or slightly alkaline soil environment is most suitable for fish and algae. Choose the right soil for the aquarium: for each fish species, fractions of the soil that are different in their mechanical properties are sold. For example, some fish like to bury themselves in the ground.
   

   The thickness of the soil layer should be greater towards the back of the tank.

2. We plant algae. They will not only decorate your aquarium, but will also produce the substances necessary for the reproduction of beneficial microorganisms.

Gradually tap water will become suitable for fish. Do not be alarmed if the contents of the container become cloudy on the second or third day. This is due to the multiplication of microorganisms in the nutrient medium, but water will quickly return to normal. Plants and microorganisms absorb oxygen, releasing ammonia into tap water. This substance creates the nutrient medium necessary for the development of microflora. So there is a natural microclimate in which the fish will be comfortable.

How to understand whether water is suitable for use? Just smell her. If the aquarium smells unpleasant, you probably ignored one of the above rules. You cannot run fish into such water, they will die. If the water has a fresh smell, then everything is done correctly, you can populate new residents in the aquarium.

Many aquarists recommend using tap water (but only if it is left standing), rather than filtered water. After filtration, water passes through substances that are harmless to humans, but harmful to fish.

For those who do not like to wait or have already bought fish, you can advise a quick way to purify tap water. Pet shops sell many air conditioners to clean aquarium water. Buy such an air conditioner and follow the instructions - so you save time.

How to change the water in the aquarium?

The water in the aquarium needs to be changed periodically. Over time, it acquires a cloudy color and an unpleasant smell, ceases to please the eye. Fish, algae and other animals slowly but surely begin to die out. This happens because in the process of life, the inhabitants of the aquarium emit a lot of harmful substances that pollute the aquarium.

The main condition for replacing water is its maximum identity in chemical composition and temperature. Pour water with the same pH balance, same hardness and mineralization. Try to warm it to the same temperature that the fish are used to. It is impossible to do without settling using tap water.

Starting to replace the water, you must:

• Completely clean the walls and decor elements from plaque, thin out the vegetation. If this is not done, fresh water will immediately become dirty.
• Prepare containers for settling water. They should be voluminous, preferably with an average surface size, so that the evaporation area is neither large nor small. An old aquarium is best suited.
• Replacing water in one go will not be pleasant to the fish. They are accustomed to the prevailing microclimate, so they can get nervous and get sick. Properly defended tap water must be added in stages. With a frequency of several days, remove 20-30% of the old water from the aquarium and replace it with new one. So you allow the microorganisms that live in the tank to completely restore the familiar microclimate.

As you can see, there is nothing complicated in such care for aquarium fish, and tap water can well replace the purchased one. You just need to follow the above rules - and then your pets will be pleasing to the eye for a long time.